Soulmates
by Hunter of Artemis101
Summary: "What's a soul mate?" One question from a girl, leaves Percy trying to give his best explanation of one. "Well, it's like a best friend. It's the one person that knows you better than anyone else. It's someone who makes you a better person-because they inspire you." Little does he know that a certain daughter of Athena is eavesdropping on the entire conversation. Percy/Annabeth.


**SOULMATES:**

_"What's a soul mate?"_

_"It's a...well, it's like a best friend. But more."_

_"It's the one person in the world who knows you better than anyone else."_

_"It's someone who makes you a better person. Actually, they don't make you a better person because you do that yourself self. Because they inspire you."_

_"A soul mate is someone who you carry with you forever."_

_"It's the one person who knew you and accepted you and... believed in you before anyone else did. Or when no one else did." _

_"And no matter what happens you'll always love them." _

_"Nothing can ever change that." _

* * *

**Slash. Cut. Dodge. Parry. **

Those were the many words that vigorously appeared in your head, commanding you to accomplish each task. It was so much easier to think battle strategy than real life problems. It was all so simple, all so _logical_.

You guess that's why you like it so much; after all you are a daughter of Athena.

Reality? Overrated, you think angrily, elbowing a random fighter in the side of the head. He falls to the ground letting out a soft cry of pain, but that doesn't make you feel any less upset. Sure, it makes you feel rushes of smugness and pride, but it doesn't take away the pain. It doesn't fix anything.

So yeah, there is a thing called reality. And it hurts.

But then, there was a better thing called love.

It's Idiotic, you think reasonably. You don't need love, not when there's a sword at hand. You don't need love, not when there's shelter and food.

You don't need it.

But you crave it.

You crave it more than anything in the world. You want warmth and protection and someone who would stay at your side through thick and thin. You desperately want kisses and passion and life. You want it, but you don't need it.

At first, you thought love was Luke.

He had been there since you were seven and had saved you when you were seven. He was so handsome with his light blue eyes. So handsome with his blonde, sandy hair. He was handsome, gorgeous even. But you don't love a person based upon their looks. You love a person because their strong and they inspire you. They should make your world spin and your heart pound faster. They should make your cheeks ignite and embarrass you. Love is knowing someone, love is being with someone. Love is everything.

Luke was strong. He was everything to you, and you did love him. But are you really, truly in love with him? At first maybe, you state in your head. But now...

You duck underneath a sword aimed for your head and kick in Malcolm's shins. He falls.

At first maybe. At first you were in love with him, in the beginning, sure. But now? No. Not a chance even in Tartarus.

You _love_ Luke. But you aren't _in love_ with him.

Or are you?

Even though you want to hate him down to your very core, you can't. Thalia can, but not you. You envy Thalia for being able to let him go and move on. You can't.

Because there's still that sliver of hope that you can save him.

And then what? Are you so sure that he would stick around? Are you so sure he just wouldn't rush back to Kronos like a lost puppy?

You let out a fierce cry. Your confused and frustrated. All you want is someone to love you. Something to become permanent.

You slash roughly at your opponent, at your brother. He dodges the first blow, but you clip his elbow in the next. His hand and sword recoil backward, your grey eyes narrowed into an angry glare.

"Whoa, Annie." You hear him say, cradling his elbow momentarily. "Calm down; your kicking me to Hades here." You breathe quickly, faster and faster. It hurts... so badly.

He slashes back quickly and sharply, but you evade it easily and dance swiftly around him.

Some campers are beginning to form around us, watching us fight in envy of their own skills that weren't nearly as good as yours. Calculating there moves and hoping that one day they can become better than you, Annabeth Chase.

That feels good; but it's not nearly enough.

Love. Love. Love. The word echoes in your head.

Useless. All it did was screw with your emotions, and that affected the way you did on the battlefield. It was fatal, and you despise it.

But you still want it. And that's the problem.

For a split second, you rethink joining the huntresses. They don't need love, and there's no chance that they'll ever take the comfort of it. Of men.

But Percy doesn't want you to. So you don't.

Then there was that second question that Thalia had asked you a few months ago: "do you love Percy?"

Yes. Yes, you love Percy. You know the answer the split second that Thalia had asked it. But the real question is, are you in love with him?

You side step him once more, creating a distraction with the hilt of your dagger. You shut your eyes tightly, praying that the tears that are pricking at your eyes are going away.

You could lose Percy next year. You could lose Luke next year.

His expression is drawn from amusement to concern in about a split second. "Hey? You okay, Annabeth? Do you need to sit down?"

You're seeing red. All you want to do is rip someone's head off and be done with these petty, useless, bitchy emotions.

You feel eyes burning into the back of your honey blonde curls, but you thoroughly ignore it. Instead you swiftly disarm your brother Malcolm and knock him to the ground. He lets out a slight gasp for air as he tumbles to the grass, but doesn't complain. He looks up to smile at you, but notices the distressed expression scrawled across your face.

You try and make your face turn emotionless, stony, but it's too late. The tears are coming, quicker than you had ever intended. They pool down your face, cascading like a waterfall.

So you run, because it's the only thing that pops into your mind. You throw the sword down, rip off your helmet and throw that down as well, and just... run. Anywhere, it doesn't really matter.

All you need to do is...escape. Escape from the prison of your own troubled mine.

"Anna-" you hear Malcolm's worried voice, trailing off as he realizes that you won't stop running. You feel like screaming, letting everything out.

_Percy._

_Luke._

_Percy._

_Luke._

_Percy._

_Percy._

_Percy._

_Percy._

_Percy._

_Seaweed Brain._

Even if you are in love with Percy Jackson, it would never work. He's in love with that Red headed mortal, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. He's in love with Calypso. Yes, you know. You've always known where Percy was marooned. It doesn't take a genius to guess. He's in love with two different girls. Two different girls that aren't you.

"Argh!" You slash a tree out of your way, as you make your way deeper and deeper into the forest. Perhaps this wasn't the most logical choice, but you need to get away from anything. You run faster, running away just like you did as a child.

_"I don't mind being the bad cop, Fredrick."_

_The spiders...they were everywhere._

Your sprinting now, using your memory as your guide, as you weave through the trees. The tears have stopped, but your eyes are red and puffy, and you pray to any God that you don't bump into Juniper in here-because that would not be a good thing. She would tell Grover, and Grover would immediately tell Percy and-

You freeze at the distinctive sound of voices.

On instinct, your hand flies to your dagger, then you realize that you had stupidly left it back in the arena when you had thrown everything down in a fit of anger and sadness. You face palm mentally. What kind of daughter of Athena were you now?

You crouch behind a tree, feeling vulnerable and naked without your dagger. What a stupid, stupid thing to do! It's almost Seaweed Brain worthy, only Percy's smarter than to leave behind a weapon. Although, on your side, his weapon does always reappear in his pocket. You shake your head, wiping some sweat from your forehead. Your curls are down-which is something you rarely do. Normally, you have it in a pony tail, but today, you are confused. Thus, leading to forgetting to do your hair.

A high peal of laughter.

A masculine voice.

Water splashing.

Giggling.

You can't see past the array of the tall, green giants, so you move forward. Your hand finds the Yankees cap of invisibility, a gift from your godly parent, and you place it on your head- just like you've done so many times before.

Your sneakers push past a tree branch, trying to be as stealthy as possible.

Then, the scene hits you.

Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and your best friend since you were twelve years old. A little girl, eight years old maybe? You recognize her features. A daughter of Apollo. Will must've asked Percy to babysit the newest member of the cabin.

Even through all your conflicting emotions, a small smile etches across your face. It was a small pond, a creek to the side of it, rushing water hits your ears. Percy's not in the water, uprising you, but neither is Penelope. Both their feet are dipped in the water, splashing upward, seeing who could splash the farthest.

You feel a twinge of envy.

How could such a small, little girl babble onto Percy like it was nothing at all? You roll your grey eyes at your ludicrous thoughts, before sitting down next to the pond. They can't see you, which is a good thing.

"-and then barbie told Ken 'nuh-huh' I am not dating you, unless you get a haircut!" A small lopsided smile forms on Percy's face, that makes your heart do jumping jacks. Your smile brightens, and you long to join them, but you've never seen what Percy is like with little kids. And the scene is so warm, it makes you go fuzzy on the inside.

Penelope's long, bleach blonde hair is tied into a small side braid. Her blue eyes are shimmering with stories and innocence.

Enjoy that childhood innocence, you think dryly to yourself. Because soon that will fade, just like everything else.

"Really? So that's what you did today? Played barbies?"

Penelope nods her head eagerly. "I asked the pony man. He said it was okay."

"He did?" Percy questioned, smirking at the 'pony man' part. It took all my willpower to contain my laughter, when Penelope said that.

"Well, I told him I was sick, but that's okay 'cause Clarisse told me that a little lie doesn't hurt anyone." You roll your eyes. Leave it to Clarisse to tell a little girl that lying is okay.

Percy laughs, and that makes you tear your eyes away, because right now Percy looks like a million golden drachmas, with the sun shining on him like it is.

They stay silent for a moment, splashing for a while.

"Percy?"

"What?"

"Do you think that the blonde girl is pretty?" Your heart sinks in your chest, as Percy blushes uncontrollably. You look away from them, wishing that you had never eavesdropped in the first place. There's another girl? Another girl that Percy likes? Your eyes feel glassy, and you blink furiously trying to contain them.

Percy coughs, spluttering uncontrollably. "I, uh, um, which, which blonde girl are you referring to?"

"I forgot her name. Wait...It's Annabeth, right?" You jolt upward, kicking your owl earrings that you were fiddling with by accident. It flies up in the air, then lands in the pond. Then, four pairs of eyes are on you. Two a sparkling blue, and two a green color, that resembles the sea.

"What was that?" Penelope tugs on Percy's arm, but his eyes are still narrowed in on you. Your heart beats faster, but then you remind yourself that there's no possible way that Percy could know that your there. He could have his suspicions, sure, but he would never be one hundred percent certain.

His eyes flicker away, and you practically sigh in relief.

He looks down at Penelope, eyes comforting. "Nothing. Just the wind."

Her eyes narrow. "Liar. There was no wind." You grin aimlessly. Even though she's been claimed already, she seems more like a daughter of Athena.

Percy blinks, then blinks again.

"Uh...so what happened between Barbie and Ken again?" Then, it's back to rambling on and on about her favorite fandom 'ship' in the entire world.

After a few minutes of watching them giggle and laugh with one another, you sigh in disappointment, wishing that Penelope could ask Percy again if he thought you were pretty. It's not like you want to know, but you're a daughter of Athena. It's in your nature to be curious about some things, and this is one of those things.

Ten minutes roll by, and you watch them earnestly, memories of your emotional outburst long forgotten.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"I was reading online...it said something about soul mates. What's a soul mate, Percy?"

He doesn't blush, which confuses me. Instead his smile disappears, and his emerald eyes soften with compassion.

Then, your eyes lock with his. Electricity runs through our gaze, and you can't bring yourself to tear your gaze away and apparently neither can he.

Does he know that you are here? That doesn't make any sense, but perhaps he does. Maybe...he just...knows.

"It's a...well, it's like a best friend. But more." Penelope stares up at him, but his eyes are still on you.

_"Because your my best friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"_

Your heart begins to thump irregularly in your chest.

"It's the one person in the world who knows you better than anyone else."

_"__I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. But this was Annabeth. If I couldn't trust her, I couldn't trust anyone."_

"It's someone who makes you a better person. Actually, they don't make you a better person. You do that yourself, because they inspire you."

_"Hold on, Seaweed Brain." It was Annabeth's voice, much clearer now. "You're not getting away from me that easily."_

"A soul mate is someone that you carry with you forever."

_"In a flash I understood what had happened. He'd been trying to stab me. Judging from the position of his blade, he would've taken me - maybe by sheer luck - in the small of my back, my only weak point. Annabeth had intercepted the knife with her own body."_

"It's the one person who knew you..." his voice trailed off, as Penelope stared at him, completely absorbed. "And believed in you before no one else did. Or when no one else would."

_" I stepped forward and hugged her. Butterflies started turning my stomach into a mosh pit. "Hey, it's okay. I patted her on the back. I was aware of everything in the room. I felt like I could read the tiniest print on any book on the shelves. Annabeth's hair smelled like lemon soap. She was shivering. "Chiron might be right," she muttered. "I'm breaking the rules. But I don't know what else to do. I need you three. It just feels right." "Then don't worry about it," I managed. "We've had plenty of problems before, and we solved them." "This is different. I don't want anything happening to...any of you." _

His voice cracked at the end of this sentence. "And no matter what happens you'll always, you'll always love them."

"'_Listen, Annabeth-" I thought about Mount St. Helens, Calypso's Island, Luke and Rachel Elizabeth Dare and how suddenly everything had gotten so complicated. I wanted to tell Annabeth that I didn't really want to be so distant from her."_

"Nothing can ever change that. Nothing."

_"Then she laughed for real, and she put her hands around my neck. "I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it. When she kissed me, I had the feeling my brain was melting right through my body."_

At the end of Percy's words. You were shocked. You're a daughter of Athena, and you couldn't comprehend the meaning of his words. The only thing you realized is that he stared at you the entire time. Not at Penelope, not at the water in front of him. You. And for some reason, that was enough.

"Oh," Penelope said, her expression unfazed. "So it's like B.A.K.F.L?"

He flinched, and you could tell that he was in a world of his own. Maybe a world where he wasn't the prophecy child, a world where he didn't have the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. "Uh, duh?" Was all he could manage.

She giggled, kicking her foot back into the water. "Barbie and Ken for life!"

He gave her a tiny smile. "Sure, Pen. It's like that."

You don't know about Penelope, but to you and Percy, it's much more than that.

You sigh, apologizing to Malcolm for the hundredth time this evening for taking off like that.

"Without any weapons, too! Annabeth, what would mother think?"

"I'm sorry," you say, not really meaning it after saying it so many times. "Really Malcolm, I am. I've just been stressed with things at home." You're glad that you are a good liar, as well as a strategist. It makes things so much easier when trying to talk your way out of things.

You turn your back away from him, pretending to organize your architectural drawings. Even though your back is turned away from him, you can still see his expression softening.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth. I had no idea."

"It's okay," you say, feeling a bit guilty. "It's no biggie. I just can't believe I embarrassed myself in front of all those people!"

He pats me on the back, brotherly. "I wouldn't worry about it. There were only five to ten people there-tops. And Clarisse wasn't there, so I doubt that there'll be any teasing." You smile, because that is good news.

Just then the conch shell rang. You exchange a look with you older brother before staring back at your drawings. "Don't worry about me. I'll catch up later, okay?"

"Okay," he says in an unconvinced tone. "But if you're not there in ten minutes, I'm coming to find you." You put your arms up in surrender, agreeing to his strict terms. He is a son of Athena, after all.

After all your siblings have left the room, you sigh, taking out your earring. You had lost the other one when you had so clumsily knocked it into the pond. You feel a bit of loss, because those were the only neutral gift that your dad had gotten you that you actually liked.

There's a rattling tap on the door, and you groan. Is Malcolm coming to check on you already? You set the earring down on your grey dresser, approaching the door.

"Percy?" You question, opening the door. "Why aren't you at dinner?" He sends me a smile, and you narrow your eyes. "More importantly, what are you doing here?"

"You dropped this," he smirked, dropping your missing earring into the palm of your hand. Then, he saunters away, as if nothing had ever happened.

Sometimes, he really does annoy you.

* * *

_"What's a soul mate?"- Lily, Dawson's Creek._

* * *

**A/N: Okay, this is nothing how I thought it would turn out. It started off in First Person P.O.V, then my friend challenged me to write it in a perspective that I**

** had never written before- and here it is. I got the idea off of Lily from Dawson's creek. It just made me think of Percabeth. :)**

**If you liked this, don't be shy to leave me a review. Even if you don't, I LOVE constructive criticism. Also, feel free to follow and favorite. **


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